Resurrection of my 1970 Chrysler 300 Convertible

The weather held out for so long I decided to get the windshield installed. Originally I was going to use the glass out of the ‘73 NYB. I called a local shop and they said they could source a brand new one. I was skeptical, but he checked it out and lo and behold they had a new tinted glass sitting in the warehouse. It’s a slightly darker shade, but having a new piece guaranteed for less than $500 installed was a no brainer for me. Added benefit is that the ‘73 glass will replace the delaminated one in the TX9, win win.

IMG_4478.jpeg
IMG_4480.jpeg
IMG_4482.jpeg
IMG_4483.jpeg
IMG_4484.jpeg
IMG_4486.jpeg
 
This year is the 15th season and it started back in March when I realized I was close to taking this thing on it’s maiden voyage. Gave Hagerty a call and then off to the DMV for a brand new set of plates.

IMG_5367.jpeg


I still had some assembly on the front bumper to finish, and tighten up some brackets on the back end.

IMG_5579.jpeg


After a what seemed like 8 hours of work, this is as close to grille and headlight door alignment as I could get. I still think the fenders can be moved a bit, it that will be for another day.

IMG_5587.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Samplingman said:
This year is the 15th season and it started back in March when I realized I was close to taking this thing on it’s maiden voyage. Gave Hagerty a call and then off to the DMV for a brand new set of plates.

View attachment 722216

I still had some assembly on the front bumper to finish, and tighten up some brackets on the back end.

View attachment 722217

After a what seemed like 8 hours of work, this is as close to grille and headlight door alignment as I coils get. I still think the fenders can be moved a bit, it that will be for another day.

View attachment 722218
Click to expand...
Wow. Bravo!
 
To say I was disappointed that the headlight motor didn't work was an understatement. My son and I spent an entire day working through the electrical. At first the motor didn't budge. Disassembled, cleaned the commutator, brushes and contacts, bench tested forward and reverse and they both worked strong. I tested the relay and ground and got power to the wires as it should, high and low beams work. Installed the motor but the doors only moved open about an inch, and then closed when I switched the lights off. If I left the switch on, the relay would start clicking and buzzing. I tried another relay from the parts car that I know works, same result. I had a few motors in the parts bin, this one actually came from an later model Imperial. I also had a motor from a '69 300, but the shaft is square not rectangular.
This is the late model Imperial motor:

1748882543815.jpeg

The other motors have the round gear. I went through page after page of threads here and just could not get the damn thing to move.

My son decided to go through the '69 motor and lo and behold got it to operate:



Still need to detail the case but there it is in all its rusty glory.

IMG_5703.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Now, for the first time during my ownership, the maiden voyage!



I still have a bit of work to do with the electrical. Dash lights quit, only some of the tail lights light, no power to the clock or power antenna and the dang speedometer doesn't work, but it sure drives down the road smooth!
 
Last edited:
Samplingman said:
This year is the 15th season and it started back in March when I realized I was close to taking this thing on it’s maiden voyage. Gave Hagerty a call and then off to the DMV for a brand new set of plates.

View attachment 722216

I still had some assembly on the front bumper to finish, and tighten up some brackets on the back end.

View attachment 722217

After a what seemed like 8 hours of work, this is as close to grille and headlight door alignment as I coils get. I still think the fenders can be moved a bit, it that will be for another day.

View attachment 722218
Click to expand...
You can tweak those headlight doors. My 69 fsm says use two wrenches and twist the shat for the final alignment
 
jmustian said:
You can tweak those headlight doors. My 69 fsm says use two wrenches and twist the shat for the final alignment
Click to expand...
Check your bump stops first, sometimes a different thickness rubber stop is all you need. Another part that impacts headlight door operation is dimmer switches and head lights as they are the source of ground for the head light motor relay.
 
Last edited:
Big_John said:
Just gotta get the paint roller and a gallon of rustoleum. :poke:

Just messing with you. I'm really glad to see this car out and driving!!! I know it's been a long haul. Good job!!!
Click to expand...
Thanks! Eastwood makes a roll on primer system. I looked into it last year but it would be more expensive than the traditional spray on. Now if they made a two stage metallic/clear topcoat, that’d be a game changer.
 
Big_John said:
Just gotta get the paint roller and a gallon of rustoleum. :poke:
Click to expand...
There was a big campaign on Moparts about 20 years ago with guys doing that very thing, thinning Rusto down like water and rolling 30 coats on a car, sanding each coat, etc. I thought it was way too labor intensive for the $$ saved. But the premise was that you didn't use a paint gun and the neighbors shouldn't be offended. IMO, they were all thinning it way too much.

Here's a door I did back in 2010 with a Harbor Freight paint gun. Some coats of color and some coats of clear - Rusto sold clear in gallon cans back then (maybe they still do?). It is not wetsanded/buffed. I have painted some, but I am not a professional painter.

As a test, I left the door near pine and oak trees behind the house for over a year, it got covered with leaves and snow over the winter. (pic 2, with leaves removed)
Pic 3 is after a cleanup (wash/wax only, still no buffing).
Pic 4 is of an impression of pine needles - but it could've been sanded buffed out.

If it was given a slight amount of protection/love, I am confident it would've lasted for some years.

Some years later I did another experiment on this same door, but with a 4" microfiber roller, and sanded/buffed it afterward. It had tremendous reflection but lots of buffing marks if you caught it at the wrong angle (I'm not a good buffer and didn't have the right micro-polishes).

So my point to all of that - Rustoleum can be a good stop-gap method if a guy doesn't have the $15k to shell out on paint, and needs to get some protection on his car or get it in 1 color for awhile. They also have a lot more color choices than ever before, a guy might find one that's acceptable. And clearcoat is available with their new Turbofan nozzle.

1749002686904.jpeg

1749002736383.jpeg

1749002811987.jpeg

1749002946524.jpeg
 
fury fan said:
There was a big campaign on Moparts about 20 years ago with guys doing that very thing, thinning Rusto down like water and rolling 30 coats on a car, sanding each coat, etc. I thought it was way too labor intensive for the $$ saved. But the premise was that you didn't use a paint gun and the neighbors shouldn't be offended. IMO, they were all thinning it way too much.

Here's a door I did back in 2010 with a Harbor Freight paint gun. Some coats of color and some coats of clear - Rusto sold clear in gallon cans back then (maybe they still do?). It is not wetsanded/buffed. I have painted some, but I am not a professional painter.

As a test, I left the door near pine and oak trees behind the house for over a year, it got covered with leaves and snow over the winter. (pic 2, with leaves removed)
Pic 3 is after a cleanup (wash/wax only, still no buffing).
Pic 4 is of an impression of pine needles - but it could've been sanded buffed out.

If it was given a slight amount of protection/love, I am confident it would've lasted for some years.

Some years later I did another experiment on this same door, but with a 4" microfiber roller, and sanded/buffed it afterward. It had tremendous reflection but lots of buffing marks if you caught it at the wrong angle (I'm not a good buffer and didn't have the right micro-polishes).

So my point to all of that - Rustoleum can be a good stop-gap method if a guy doesn't have the $15k to shell out on paint, and needs to get some protection on his car or get it in 1 color for awhile. They also have a lot more color choices than ever before, a guy might find one that's acceptable. And clearcoat is available with their new Turbofan nozzle.

View attachment 722424
View attachment 722425
View attachment 722426
View attachment 722427
Click to expand...
I think there was a thread on the HAMB that started the Moparts thread. It sounded great, although a ton of sanding was involved.

My youngest kept getting stopped because his multicolored truck looked just like someone else's (long story) and while he was away, his brother and I painted the truck with Rustoleum thinned with acetone using a Harbor Fright gun. He was surprised and really happy. Of course, someone ran a stop sign and destroyed it a few weeks later.

It was a 20 footer, but it really didn't look bad.

ov05mB9.jpg
 
Nothing wrong with Rustoleum, all of my interior and engine bay parts are sprayed with various combos of gloss and flat black, top coated with clear from a rattle can. My friend painted his truck with it and it came out pretty good. And I think @Big_John did this with his son’s truck a while back IIRC. (EDIT: and there it is above, lol ^…^) Correct application, environment and a cheap airless sprayer is all you really need. The only problem I have with it is that it remains somewhat soft and easily marked up, but I think that is by design. Although, I have used it in combination with POR 15 on frame parts and nothing short of an angle grinder can even scratch it. I like the roller idea, but as stated above, there would be a lot of post production work to get it to look acceptable, unless of course it’s farm equipment, and you end up using much more material than if sprayed.

I have had great success with single stage PPG and hardener for all of the jamming and under side surfaces.

What’s next for this beast is finish assembly and then shaking out all the bugs over the next few months. The assembly has been the hardest, locating all the parts and correct fasteners that have scattered to winds over the years, some of which I am just learning I never actually had. I probably won’t get back to the metal refinishing until after August when the weather cools and there are dry days.

I have also been working on the TX9 with my son to get that on the road, I need to get another thread going soon for that one. Making something out of nothing has been my mantra these past few years.
 
Last edited:
Samplingman said:
Thanks! Eastwood makes a roll on primer system. I looked into it last year but it would be more expensive than the traditional spray on. Now if they made a two stage metallic/clear topcoat, that’d be a game changer.
Click to expand...
I have seen that roll on primer and wondered about using it for a couple small paint projects.

I'm not surprised that Eastwood is expensive... Everything there is and can usually be sourced somewhere else for a lot less $$.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

TX9
‘69 Chrysler 300 Convertible NEW for Me!
Replies
11
Views
1K
jmustian
jmustian
C
Fender tag decoding.
Replies
3
Views
348
Camshaft
C
ayilar
NOT MINE 1970 300 convertible (red, claimed U-code) & another 1970 parts car 300 vert in California
Replies
3
Views
733
ayilar
ayilar
F
Wanted: Installation Info/Pics/Diagram/Hardware - 69 Fury Hood and Fender Extension Trim Option
Replies
1
Views
588
CBODY67
C
marty mopar
NOT MINE 1966 300 Convertible Chatworth, CA $55,000.00
Replies
1
Views
1K
tbm3fan
tbm3fan
Back
Top